Ghostbuster 3: The Next Generation
by Dorkylokifan
Summary: Oscar Barrett and his half-sister Jenny Venkman live in the shadows of their famous parents. Life for the children of the Ghostbusters is lackluster, and they wish their lives different. Signs of Ragnarok appear all over the city and the group resurrects their parent's business in a bid to save the city and themselves. Loki is the villain. The new movie trailer sucks! M/F Explicit.


Oscar sipped from the flask of tequila in his hand as his father's coffin was lowered into the ground. He didn't really know his father when he was alive, didn't even have the man's name. His last name was Barrett, after his mother. His half-sister Jenny's last name was Venkman.

"I'm sorry you're sad, but he wasn't your father Oscar. Not in the ways that mattered. You should call dad."

"Why? He's not _my_ dad. Not anymore. They got divorced, remember?"

"That's not fair." Jenny said.

"Life isn't fair. If it was he would have shown an interest in me." Oscar said, gesturing to the coffin.

"Then call mom." She said.

"I don't want to talk to her either. Not today." He said. He walked away from the grave and began a half-hazard stroll through the cemetery, going nowhere in particular. Jenny followed him. He looked at various gravestones and marble statues as he went, admiring their age and provenance. This was one of the oldest cemeteries in New York State and had some of the oldest graves in the country. As an archeologist and museum curator, their history and story appealed to him.

"These little ones with the lambs on top of them are from the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918."

"You're changing the subject."

"Yes I am." He said. "Sometimes I have memories that aren't mine."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Vigo."

"Oh. Him. Do you have them during the day or are you having the nightmares again?"

"Both. They're getting worse. I don't know what to do about it."

"You need to call dad and talk to him about it. That's what you need to do."

"You talk to him for me." Oscar said. Jenny huffed and rolled her eyes.

"This is crap Oscar. You can't keep using me as a go-between."

"I know. Please sis, just talk to him for me."

"Fine, but on one condition."

"What now?"

"You are coming over to Zeke's tonight to hang out with the old playground gang."

"Zeke? How is that guy? I haven't spoken to him since college."

"Bald."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He keeps buying cheap toupees. I think I'm going to stage a fashion intervention. He's running a real estate business out of the old firehouse."

"I thought I saw something on the side of a bus. Stantz Realty, is that him?"

"Yep."

"How's he doing?"

"He sucks at it. His business is going under. I blame the toupees. Unless he lands a big deal soon, he'll have to sell the old headquarters."

"He can't do that! That building is a city landmark and it's kind of a heritage thing for you and me, and Henry. Mina too. What does Zeke's dad have to say about the sale?"

"Ray's Alzheimer's has gotten worse Oscar. He talks about Egon like he is still alive."

"Well, at least I won't be the only one in mourning." He said as he came to stand before a very peculiar statue. It wasn't an angel or depiction of death. In fact, it didn't look Christian at all.

"What in the hell is this doing here?" Oscar asked as he squat down to inspect the statue a little closer. It was a man, lying flat on his back, chained to an altar. Hovering above him was a snake, with a telltale drip of venom dangling precariously from an exposed fang. The sides of the altar were covered in what appeared to be Norse runes.

"Not exactly the grave marker I'd pick for myself." Jenny said.

"It's not a grave statue."

"It's not? It looks like one to me." Jenny said. "It looks like it has been here at least as long as the other headstones around us."

"Actually it looks older than the headstones around us. That is what is so weird. The weathering patterns on the stone, and the striations of the runes into the surface all look at least as old as the founding of America and probably much older."

"What about this big one attached on the side? What does it mean?"

"I don't know. I'll have to do some research." Oscar stood up and pulled out his cellphone to take some pictures.

"Really Oscar? You're going to research this thing?"

"Well, yeah. It's a mystery sitting in the middle of Manhattan." He said. The sound of a diesel engine disturbed the peace as a cemetery worker drove a bobcat nearby to dig a fresh grave.

"Why do you care about inconsequential crap like this? You should be focusing on your relationships with the living."

"I think this might be a depiction of the Norse god Loki." He said. The face and body had been very detailed at one point, but hundreds of years of rain and pollution had eaten away at it, rounding down the surface.

"He kind of looks like you."

"Nah, my schlong is bigger."

"Gross Oscar." She said. The bobcat driver was backing up and getting really close to the statue. It made Oscar nervous.

"Hey! Hey!" Oscar flapped his arms to get the driver's attention. A raven flew down from a nearby tree right into the driver's face. The machine backed up even more and collided with the statue, sending small cracks down the side.

"STOP!" Oscar yelled. "Damn it!" His face flushed red. The big rune on the side of the altar was cracked right down the damn middle. Oscar yelled at the driver, who seemed unconcerned, which only enraged him further.

"Oscar! Oscar! Let it go! It's just a stupid statue." Jenny pulled on his arm and dragged him away.

"No respect for the dead." Oscar muttered.

"Come on." Jenny said. They left the cemetery as it began to rain. The rain drops hit the statue and streamed down its contours. All except the water hitting the head of the snake. A drop of water fell from the fang onto the figure's forehead, sizzling on contact.

The old ghostbuster's sign still hung on the outside of the building, but had the new addition of Stantz's Realty on the building competing for attention. Oscar, Jenny, and the others were all members of a very specific club. They were the children of the ghostbusters. Like the children of other celebrities, they all felt the weight of their parent's legacy.

"Hey! Look who's here." Zeke said. Oscar smiled at seeing his old friend. They'd fallen out of contact as their lives grew apart. Oscar, with his athleticism and academic excellence had thrown himself fully into his college life, leaving little room for anything else. After college he hadn't bothered to contact anyone from the old gang. Only Jenny had kept up contact with everyone. Zeke had always been a bit on the short pudgy side and aside from their parents being ghostbusters, they had little in common.

"Hey Zeke. Are the others here yet?" Oscar asked, trying not to stare at the strange configuration of fake human hair perched atop his friend's head.

"Yeah, Mina and Henry are in the back. Hi Jenny." Zeke said. He looked up at Jenny with a sweet smile and puppy dog eyes. She was a full head taller than he.

"Hey Zeke." She said. She looked around the front reception area, which had changed little over the years. She could tell Zeke had tried to make it look like a legitimate office, but it looked cheap.

"So, ah, how's life treating you?" He asked.

"Terribly. I have five different jobs right now and I'm still barely making rent."

"Five? What all do you do?"

"A little bit of modeling, pizza delivery, waitressing, make-up tutorial videos on Youtube…" She said.

"That's only four."

"Oh, yeah. I miscounted." Jenny had not miscounted.

"I'd hire you as my secretary, if I could afford you. You'd be great." He said.

"You're sweet to say so. Have you put out your resume yet?"

"No. I know I should, but if I do I'm admitting defeat."

"I know what you mean. I'm surviving off the kindness of horny men to buy me dinner and that bitch Sallie Mae won't leave me alone."

"I should have majored in something besides banking." Zeke said.

"Me too." She said.

"My goodness. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Henry said with a sparkling white smile. He'd come straight from work and was still wearing his coveralls from the utility company.

"Henry Zeddemore. How the hell, are you? How is your dad?" Oscar asked as he gave his old friend a man hug.

"He's good. He and my mom are living the life down in Boca Raton, Florida."

"I remember Jenny saying something about that." Oscar said.

"Hi Oscar." Mina squeaked. Oscar hadn't even noticed her. She was so small and quiet. She always was. Her mousy brown hair was cut to chin length and was razor straight. She had thick rimmed glasses, which were red. Where Oscar and Jenny were both easily over 6 feet tall, Mina was barely five foot two.

"Mina, look at you. You grew up." He said. In truth, he was being kind. Mina had a pretty face, but it was a young one as well. Were it not for her adult attire, Mina would look like a twelve-year-old.

"Thank you for noticing." She said, blushing and looking at her feet.

"So what have you been up to since college? Curing cancer, no doubt."

"I work for the EPA actually."

"Well that's great. I bet you get to do a lot of important things working there."

"I harass home owners that live near waterways." She said.

"I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that hates my job." Henry said.

"I like my job." Oscar said.

"You're the only one that does." Jenny said. Zeke had herded them all to a back room that had two couches and a television.

"It's not much, but I've got chips, salsa, and some beer." Zeke said.

"Beer will do." Oscar said. Henry looked around the room at the business their fathers all used to run together.

"It's sad that you are selling this place Zeke." He said.

"He may not have to." Mina said.

"Still holding out hope I'll land the Willard sale?" Zeke asked.

"It'll happen." Mina said, cheerful.

"Even if I do, I'm not making it in this business."

"Don't say that Zeke. You'll make it." Jenny said.

"No, it's true. I hate real estate. I don't have a type A killer personality you know? In this town, everybody is so damn hard and cynical. It's cut throat. I'm not cut throat. I never land the job, I never close the deal, I never get the girl. I should've moved out to the country and learned farming or something."

"You'd be bored in a week." Mina said.

"My job pays okay. I have benefits and a regular 40-hour schedule, but I can't really afford to raise a family on the money I'm making. Not like our parents could back in the day." Henry said.

"I love my job. I don't know what I would do if I lost it. The Museum is looking at doing budget cuts and I'm nervous." Oscar said. "I'm constantly submitting for grants but it's a black hole."

"Oh hey, just like my resume." Jenny said.

"It's a shame we couldn't all inherit our parent's business." Henry said.

"Yeah. Could you imagine chasing ghosts all day for a living? God, that would be a fun job." Zeke said.

"No it wouldn't! Didn't your dad ever tell you any stories? Getting scared shitless as some invisible man chases you in the dark. Getting covered in slime by some little green floating monster or covered in marshmallow." Jenny said with her face scrunched up in disgust.

"Not to mention the lawsuits." Mina said. "I went into the basement at my work and went through some of the really old file cabinets. You would not believe the stuff our parents got away with before the EPA showed up. We could never make it work in this day and age. The permitting process alone would never allow it."

"Stop being all realistic and bringing up facts and regulations and… facts. Honestly Mina, who wants to hear about that?" Henry asked. Everyone chuckled a little.

"It would be nice though. Exciting. To have the opportunity to speak to the dead and ask them what life was like in their time." Oscar said.

"I think the times we are currently living in are far more interesting." Jenny said.

"Oh I disagree." Oscar said, and then went quiet. His gaze was far off as the memory of women and children being burned alive inside a wooden structure jumped into his mind. The voice of Vigo the Carpathian, echoing in his head had ordered their deaths. The beer in Oscar's hand slipped and shattered on the floor. "I'm sorry." He said, disoriented and embarrassed.

"You still having nightmares man?" Henry asked.

"Yeah." Oscar said. The rest of the group looked horrified. Oscar had suffered some pretty hellacious night terrors when he was a child. Jenny went and hugged him. Mina got up too and touched Oscar's shoulder. It was more than just a sentimental gesture. Mina could see things; things people aren't meant to see.

She hadn't told anyone. She hated the term psychic, but that was what it was. It was dodgy, inconsistent, and rarely helpful. Mina had lost count of the number of lottery tickets she'd bought over the years. She never won. Occasionally her hair would stand up on the back of her neck right before something bad was about to happen. But by the time she figured it out, it was usually too late. Spiderman would not be impressed with her spidey-senses. Still, there were times she could pick up on a memory when she touched things. But she didn't let on about that to anyone.

She was not prepared for the shit storm that flooded her mind's eye. She yanked her hand back from Oscar's shoulder, as though she'd touched a burning fire. Death. So much death and human misery. Not all of it was from the past.

"Something wrong Mina?" Oscar asked. She shook her head.

"No. I mean, yes. You're hurting." She said. Oscar smiled at her, with those big green eyes of his. His hair was red, which neither his mother or stepfather had. He'd gotten that from his birthfather. He was literally the red-headed stepchild. An incredibly handsome redheaded yummy tall…Mina's face turned beet red and she retreated back to her spot on the couch.

"Thank you for your kindness." Oscar flashed her a charming smile, which made Mina blush all the more. Henry smiled too seeing her obvious shyness.

"So, has anything helped in getting rid of the dreams?" Henry asked.

"No. I tried some psych meds for a while when I was a teenager. The dreams stopped, but so did everything else. I was so numb I couldn't function. I couldn't feel joy. These days I drink a couple of beers before bed and hope that I can't remember anything come morning." He said.

"But you said they are coming while you are awake now." Jenny pointed out.

"They are. It started a few weeks ago. Whatever is wrong with me, medicine can't fix. I need something more spiritual, I think." Oscar raised the bottle to his lips again and took another long drag of beer.

"You have PTSD Oscar. Vigo is long gone." Jenny said.

"You don't know that. Mom and…Dad…they weren't sure either. How many dumbass rituals and religious rites did they put me through as a kid?"

"And none of them worked, right? You're not possessed. You just have his memories. The ghost is inside your head. Nowhere else." She said.

Glass shattered in the next room, jolting everyone out of their seats. They went to the foyer and saw that a picture had fallen off the wall. Zeke picked it up. It was an old photo of his dad and Oscar's dad. He smiled at it.

"This old place was falling apart when they bought it. It was a ruin then and it's a ruin now." He said, melancholy clear on his face. The lights flickered then, giving credence to his statement.

"Maybe it's a ghost." Jenny said, trying to be lighthearted.

"If only we were that lucky." Zeke said. A disembodied moan came then, echoing throughout the room. They looked about searching for the source but could not see it.

"Zeke, if the boogey man pops out and kills me, I'm coming back for you." Henry said. A bright flash of green light filled the room and a beautiful woman in profile appeared before them.

"Holy shit!" Jenny yelled.

"Shh! Shut up! Nobody move." Oscar hissed at his sister. He turned and focused back on the phantom in their midst. Slowly, he stepped towards the ghost.

"Oscar. Os-car. What are you doing?" Jenny asked. He didn't listen. He stopped short, though with several feet separating him from the floating apparition. She had long flowing blonde hair, high cheekbones and full lips.

"Hello." He said. Her eye locked on him and she turned to reveal the other side of her body. She was a skeleton. The others gasped and stepped further back in fear. "Is there something you wanted to tell me?"

"Mjolnir." She whispered on the wind, and disappeared. A silence dragged on for a moment.

"Whoa! Did that just really happen?" Jenny asked.

"Yes!" Zeke yelled and danced around in victory. It was not a pretty sight.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Henry asked.

"Guys! That was it! That was the sign! We should become ghostbusters!" Zeke said.

"No. I have a real job with benefits. I'm not ditching that to come join the Scooby-Doo gang." Henry said.

"Oh come on! We're all here, in the old headquarters. The equipment is in the basement for crying out loud. And a damn ghost was just here. What more do you guys need?" Zeke asked.

"A paycheck." Mina said.

"Really guys?" Zeke asked.

"Really Zeke." Oscar said. "Look, we're not dismissing this out of hand but one appearance of one ghost is not enough to sustain any of us. Hell our parents went in and out of business twice." Oscar said.

"What was the word she said?" Mina asked. "Mule-near? Like there's a donkey nearby?"

"Mjolnir. Thor's hammer. God of Thunder. It's from Norse mythology." Oscar looked at Jenny, his eyes filled with meaning.

"The statue. You think this has something to do with this?" Jenny asked.

"We'd be crazy not to. A coincidence this large is unlikely. Tomorrow when I'm at work, I'll take a closer look at the pictures I took of the statue and see if I can find out the meaning of the runes." He said, grabbing his coat to head home. He wasn't going to wait until morning. He wanted to get started on his computer at home and brush up on his Norse mythology.

"This is the start of something guys! I'm telling you! We can do this!" Zeke said.

"Zeke, short of the seven plagues, or a giant monster rampaging through the city there is no way we could drum up enough business to make it work." Oscar said.

"Keep praying for the apocalypse Zeke. I'll see you guys later." Henry said as he gathered up his coat as well.

"Jenny? Mina?" Zeke asked.

"It was good seeing you again Zeke." Jenny said with a sweet smile.

"You too, Jenny." Zeke said.


End file.
